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CIA Boss Reveals al-Qaeda Recruiting Western Fighters

by Swan | March 30, 2008 at 11:36 am

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Scary.

CIA director Michael Hayden said today al-Qaeda was training operatives who "look western" and could enter the United States undetected to conduct terrorist attacks.

al-Qaeda has transformed the remote tribal areas (along the Afghanistan border) of Pakistan into a safe-haven for themselves, while they plan further attacks against the United States, according to CIA Director Micahel Hayden.

Operatives are brought into the region for training, away from other more volatile areas of the violently troubled area, where they may train uninterrupted.

Currently:

"They are bringing operatives into that region for training -- operatives that wouldn't attract your attention if they were going through the customs line at Dulles (airport outside Washington) with you when you were coming back from overseas," Hayden said during an interview on NBC's television show Meet the Press.

"(They) look western (and) would be able to come into this country without attracting the kinds of attention that others might," Hayden said, without offering further details.

The United States has already increased unilateral attacks in Pakistan on al Qaeda targets - the move following fears that Pakistan will soon think twice about U.S. involvement on their soil.

According to Hayden:

"The situation along that Afghanistan/Pakistan border presents a clear and present danger to Afghanistan, to Pakistan, to the West in general and the United States in particular,"

Please forgive the video - I couldn't help myself!

Sources:

Herald-Sun News
Al-Qaeda Grooming 'Western' Militants
(no byline)

Yahoo! News
Al Qaeda Recruiting "Western" Fighters: CIA Boss
by Alister Bull